Forbidden by Syrie and Ryan M. James

Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James

Copyright 2012

HarperTeen - Young Adult/Paranormal

412 pp.

I wish I was on HarperTeen's mailing list. I managed to win my copy of Forbidden from Alyce of At Home With Books and it was such a pleasant diversion.

16-year-old Claire Brennan has never lived anywhere for long. It has always seemed as if her mother is running from something. But, she's been attending exclusive Emerson Academy for two years and she loves her school. When Claire begins having psychic visions, she's afraid to tell her mother. What is her mother running from? Why are strange things suddenly happening to Claire?

Alec MacKenzie is a Watcher, an angelic being whose job is to eliminate the Fallen when they become too dangerous. But, after over 100 years of doing his job, he's weary and just wants to give human life a try. He's had many years to learn a lot of information, so a school with a reputation for excellence seems like a nice place to hide and play at being normal. But, trouble follows. When Alec's godfather says there's a dangerous Halfblood roaming around Emerson, Alec agrees to help locate the Halfblood only if his godfather will guarantee not to turn Alec in.

Claire has a terrible crush on Alec and the feeling is mutual. But, Alec knows their love is forbidden. Is there a way for Alec to do his job and continue to spend time with Claire? Or must they be separated for eternity? Even worse, could their romance end in death?

What I loved about Forbidden:

I've been in a YA mood, lately, and Forbidden was just what I needed. It's got danger, forbidden romance, a dubious character or two (or four), and enough suspense to make the pages fly. The writing is also light enough for someone who is in the middle of working on preparing to buy a house and move. Haha. Had to throw that in. I do have a little trouble focusing on more intense reading material when I've got a lot going on, so young adult novels are particularly wonderful for such times.

I liked the characters and was swept away by the dilemma, the romance, and the paranormal elements. The lightness of the writing was very pleasant, since I've got a lot on my mind.

What I disliked about Forbidden:

Apart from answering with the word "Aye" instead of "Yes", Alec's dialogue does not make him sound like a Scot, but he is from Scotland. He pretty much sounds like everyone else in California and is most distinguished by the fact that he's lived a monk-like existence and has only eaten extremely healthy food. So, pizza and other foods are a shocking joy to him and, actually, his new food experiences and special abilities set him apart more than any attempt at a believable accent. I don't think that's a terrible thing, though, as a lot of authors overdo their attempt to make someone sound authentic, which ends up distracting the reader from the storyline. So, Alec's lack of Scottishness is a minor complaint.

Recommendation:

Loved it! Recommended to paranormal fans who like a clean, light read with plenty of romantic tension, solid writing and a nice plot. This is only the second book I've read with angels in it so I can't say how it compares to others but I enjoyed Forbidden. It can be a tiny bit sappy, at times, and there is a smidgen of love triangle -- which, of course, has become a bit of a tired, old thing in YA -- but I liked both of the male characters and very rarely thought, "Oh, come on!" That may be because I haven't read much YA, this year. Forbidden swept me away and entertained me. That's all I care.

And, the latest news:

Things seem to be progressing rather quickly with the house purchase. Those who know me well will understand when I say I'm most excited about the fact that the neighborhood we're planning to move into has sidewalks and the city has leash laws. The absence of both has been really frustrating because we both grew up walking and riding bikes in neighborhoods where dogs were fenced and not a threat to active people (and dogs were not threatened by cars, which I believe is equally important). I cannot wait to ride a bike in my own neighborhood!

The cats are going to probably be peeved, though. I just have a feeling. Cats aren't really thrilled with the concept of change. We shall see.

Happy Monday!

Bookfool, who is trying to stop admiring all the improvements she's made to the house she's planning to sell.

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan and week-off chatter

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan is the first in a young adult series of books about two ships launched from a dying Earth to create a new settlement on another planet. The New Horizon was launched before the Empyrean and should be far ahead of the Empyrean. But, when the New Horizon draws near to the Empyrean, a fierce battle takes place and all the young females from the Empyrean are taken to the New Horizon. Many of the adults are killed but some pursue the New Horizon and the rest must risk their lives to restart the Empyrean's damaged engines.

Waverly and Kieran, at a mere 15 and 16 years old, were already considering marriage. Fertility is reduced in outer space and the sooner they have children, the better. Now separated, Waverly has been told the Empyrean was destroyed, Kieran, her mother and all but the "rescued" girls dead. But she suspects the captain of the New Horizon is not telling the truth. How will Waverly find the adults, if they're still living? What do the people of the New Horizon want from them? Will they be able to escape or is there even a ship to run home to?

While Waverly is unraveling the puzzle of her imprisonment on the New Horizon, Kieran must deal with the horrors of being left behind. With all the remaining adults risking their lives, the job of running the ship falls to the eldest of the boys. But, Seth (who also has a thing for Waverly) wants to be in charge and will do anything he can to sabotage Kieran. When Seth's games become dangerous, will Kieran survive?

Wow. What a fun book. While Ryan's writing is a bit rough around the edges, Glow is such an exciting, plot-heavy adventure that imperfection doesn't matter. The story is so massively entertaining that writing flaws fade into the background. I'm looking forward to reading the second book, Spark, which Tammy just reviewed.

Andi recently wrote about story versus writing and I think Glow is an excellent example of why I personally feel that the story tends to win. I love a book that's well-written, but if the story isn't there, beautiful writing is not enough.

Alyce didn't like Glow at all. Her review is excellent. I have to agree that there were some oddities to the casting (read her description of Seth - he and Kieran are definitely odd characters in their contrasts) but I enjoyed the adventurous aspect of the story so I tried to ignore those character flaws and just enjoy myself.

Tammy sent me her ARC of Glow. Many thanks, Tammy! My recent reading rut was threatening to drag me into a slump but Glow saved me. I highly recommend this book. The writing isn't brilliant, but the plotting is excellent. Definitely a grabber.

Week-off report:

I had a lot of busy-busy things that I had to do, last week, none of which were all that thrilling so I guess the excitement of the week involved moving furniture. In my continued quest to bring more light into our living area (which is dark thanks to the shade of our humongous old oak trees), I decided to move some bookshelves from the living/dining room to the office. Isabel and Fiona both had fun playing on the shelves before I refilled them.

Unfortunately, we managed to scratch the hardwood flooring in the office, in spite of using sliders, so we had a few delays. First, the run to the hardware store to get sliders to protect the flooring. Then, another run to get markers to repair the scratches. And, then we decided it wouldn't hurt to get a little carpet runner to protect the flooring from future damage.

After all that, I reorganized the books and set aside about 20 to donate. Most of what I keep on those particular shelves is nonfiction: reference books, gardening, photography, design, history, writing, etc. I was surprised to find that the biggest category is design. I have loads of books on interior and exterior design (including a book on historical fabrics and wallpaper, Jamie Durie's The Outdoor Room, etc.), architecture, painting, stained glass. You wouldn't know it from looking at the interior of my house; apparently I'm a bit of a dreamer.

In the evenings, we indulged in a Superhero Movie Weekend. After seeing The Avengers in the theater, we were all in the mood to watch a few more superhero movies. We watched Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. Of the three, Thor was the surprise favorite, Iron Man 2 the biggest disappointment. Captain America was fun but more in the classic comic book vein (which isn't really my thing) with a nasty villain and a sci-fi bent. We watched one movie each night. It was nice to relax together after working on the house, something we really don't do often, anymore.

Kiddo needed a "professional grade" photo to send to the university for his ID and that turned out to be a barrel of laughs, too. Out of about 30 photos I snapped, his eyes were only open in 2 or 3. He has such a quick blink reflex that I eventually had to quit using flash. It was honestly hilarious. We laughed so hard we all had tears streaming down our faces. My favorite photo is one I snapped as Kiddo was laughing and wiping an eye. So cute. I have been forbidden to share his photo on the blog or I would.

Only two books have arrived in the past two weeks. I'm reading one of them: Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson. The other book is A Genius for Deception by Nicholas Rankin, subtitled "How Cunning Helped the British Win Two World Wars." I got it from Paperback Swap.

One wahoo for the day: Fiona just reached up and batted my indoor wind chimes. Isabel gives them a whack, occasionally, but this is the first time I've seen Fiona swipe at them. She was a little more tentative than Izzy. It's terribly cute to see a cat swat wind chimes, but it happens so fast that I still have not managed to photograph that moment.

Gotta go. Wishing you many wahoos!

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Gone by Michael Grant

Gone by Michael Grant

Copyright 2008

Harper Teen - YA/Sci-Fi

558 pages

In a split second, everyone aged 15 and over disappears from Perdido Beach, a small town in California. Everyone. Teachers, parents, older siblings -- all gone. Along with their disappearance go the phones, internet and television. The electricity remains. But, where should the youngsters go and how will they survive? As it becomes plain that there's a barricade blocking them from the world outside, food begins to dwindle, dangerous mutated creatures appear and bullies arrive from the private school up the hill.

In addition to all these strange occurrences, some of the remaining youngsters have developed powers--and they're growing stronger. But, the bullies know about these unusual new powers and they're determined not to let anyone overcome their stranglehold on the town. What will become of the young survivors in Perdido Beach? What is the FAYZ and how might it be related to the local nuclear power plant? And, what is that strange, dome-like barricade over their town?

Thoughts:

There are a few things I consider spoilers in Gone, so my review may be a tiny bit vague. What I really loved about Gone the most was that it's pure escapist reading and I was in need of a mental break, so a little escapist sci-fi was perfect for the moment.

Sam, the protagonist, is a natural-born hero. Some of his peers and a lot of the younger children look up to him because he's known to have saved a bus full of students when the driver had a heart attack. But, on a daily basis, he's really rather timid and unsure of himself. He doesn't desire to be their leader and he's worried about the dangerous power he developed in the months leading up to the disappearance of the adults. As the situation degenerates, though, Sam finds that he really needs to step up to the plate.

Astrid, who is nicknamed "Astrid the Genius" because of her intelligence, becomes Sam's closest companion and greatest encouragement. But, she has problems of her own. Her young brother is autistic and it takes a lot of energy to deal with his needs.

Caine is the leader of the bullies from the private school. He has a power complex and is determined to take over the town. But, what is his goal and who is he willing to sacrifice to get what he wants?

The bottom line:

An exciting, adventurous, scary novel that combines a Stephen King-like world of fresh horror with the animalistic infighting of Lord of the Flies, definitely recommended but not for the faint of heart.

Technically, I am the faint of heart. There were times I was unsure I really wanted to continue reading. Having experienced the horror of post-Katrina Mississippi and the fighting over limited resources (which really wasn't necessary, especially early on, but still occurred because people naturally panic in times of crisis), I know how real that type of behavior can be. It's disturbing! But, I kept going because the story is a good one. The author kept flinging out new surprises and I never really quite knew how Sam was going to react. I have the second book in this series, Hunger, and I've been restraining myself from reading it because I tend to like series books better if I stretch them out. But, I might give in, soon.

I particularly thought the character development was excellent. Sam and Astrid are likable, as are most of the people who end up working with them to protect the innocent from the dangerous bullies. Caine and his sociopathic sidekick are easy to hate. It's classic good-versus-evil, and yet there is more to the story than just the interaction between the good and bad groups. There are monsters and strange powers to deal with. The plot is pretty amazing.

I'm pretty sure I've just talked myself into reading Hunger a bit sooner.

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Procrastination Equation by Piers Steel, PhD with an apology to the author

The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done

By Piers Steel, PhD

Copyright 2011

Harper - Psychology/Self-Help

320 pages

Before I get into the review of this book, I must apologize to the author for thinking him arrogant within the first 30 pages of The Procrastination Equation (and saying so on my blog). I believe I owe him an official apology.

Dear Piers,

Thank you for your very polite message requesting that I continue to read your book and for clearly explaining that you asked your editors tone down the portions I considered annoying. Thanks to the fact that you were kind and persuasive, I finished your book; and, it may possibly have even earned the this year's award for Most Post-it Filled Book. I enjoyed The Procrastination Equation, learned some new techniques to avoid procrastination, and plan to hang onto the book for a reread. My humblest apologies for misinterpreting your attempt to explain your qualifications as "arrogance". I was wrong.

Sincerely,

Nancy, aka "Bookfool"

And, yes, I mean every word. I was definitely put off by the opening section of The Procrastination Equation, but after the author left a very polite comment I actually asked my husband, who has a doctorate in engineering, if there was some reason he knew of that the author would feel obliged to spell out his qualifications. Huzzybuns informed me that one has to insert such information in journal articles (and added that's why he hates writing them).

In The Procrastination Equation, Dr. Steel describes why we put specific tasks off and what we can do to stop ourselves from continuing to indulge in bad habits and time-wasting activities instead of doing what we know we really should be doing. He describes the difference between the limbic system and the pre-frontal cortex and what those parts of the brain have to do with being lured away from our tasks versus reigning ourselves in. In other words, you can blame being lured from your tasks by the part of your brain that responds to certain signals, but you can overcome the limbic system by doing a few things that will help you maintain focus: turning off your computer volume to avoid e-mail signals or simply unplugging from the internet while you do a set number of hours of work, for example.

Every time you stop your flow, you have to once again decide to work and then it takes time to become fully re-engaged. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to answer e-mail instantly, responding to the tell-tale "ding" like Pavlov's dogs. Unless you have a pressing reason, check your e-mail at your convenience, during natural breaks in your productivity.

What we are doing here by changing our e-mail settings is regaining stimulus control. Part of our decision making occurs subconsciously, in our limbic system. This is not the brightest part of our minds; it takes much of its lead from environmental cues--that is, from the stimuli of sight, smell, sound or touch.

--p. 178 of The Procrastination Equation, Uncorrected Proof: Some changes may have been made to the final print version

The author talks about how much dawdling costs individuals and organizations and how easy it is for people to get distracted by games, television and other mindless activities. And, he talks about the fact that we feel guilty because we know what we're doing is illogical.

Incredibly, after graduate students have gotten into a competitive academic program, done all their course work, perhaps even gathered their dissertation data, and need only to write it up and defend their thesis, at least half never complete the process despite the immense investment of time and the significant rewards for completion (on average, a 30 percent increase in salary). Procrastination is the primary culprit.

--p. 87

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this book is that the author talks about not only putting things off because they're just not fun to do, but how some people delay work because they're overly optimistic and believe they can get work done in less time than a job actually requires to be done well. He describes why some positive thinking books feed on over-optimism in a way that's counterproductive (my wording).

The Law of Attraction separates positive belief from action, leaving belief free-floating and unconnected. It changes the story of the Little Engine That Could from "I think I can" to "I think it will." That's a big difference.

To prevent ourselves from falling into over-optimism, we need a teaspoon of pessimism. As Freud put it, we need to activate the reality principle: to confront the reality of the situation when we are seeking the best way to achieve our goals. Invoking the reality principle is a sign that we have outgrown our childish and impulsive ways and can acknowledge the price we must realistically pay for our dreams. This entails imagining what could go wrong and how you would prevent or mitigate potential pitfalls. Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, used this principle during his lunar escapades. "Well," he would say, "I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that's when something snaps up and bites you."

--pp. 131-132

I also love the bits about breaking down large or overwhelming work into small, manageable tasks, which are well-described in this quote by Mark Twain:

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."

--Mark Twain

The author uses the word "subgoals" to describe those smaller tasks and tells how one should break down larger tasks into subgoals, "allowing work motivation to crest above the temptation line sooner." Setting subgoals also naturally makes tasks less intimidating. There are quite a few more principles but if I wrote down all the quotes I marked you'd be here till March, so let's just move on, shall we?

What I loved about this book:

The Procrastination Equation is well-written (be patient if you plan to read this book; after the first 30-40 pages it picks up) and the author has a great sense of humor. Plenty of anecdotes liven up the material and make it easily accessible. There are some fresh ideas and he clearly describes the various procrastination triggers, why we react the way we do and how to prevent procrastination. The principles in this book can be used in just about any area of life -- at work, at school, at home, to make your diet and exercise program work.

What I disliked about this book:

The one thing that I found lacking in The Procrastination Equation is a good, solid summary. As soon as I closed the book, I thought to myself, "This is great stuff. But, I'm going to have to read it again and take notes." I think a tear-out sheet with bullet points to remind readers what they've read and jog the memory about how to prevent problems would have been really helpful. I'm planning to create my own list when I reread this book. I have to flip through it to remind myself what I'm supposed to be doing, already. The information slipped away pretty quickly and I'm sure it will take time and practice after I manage to get those reminders written down.

The bottom line:

Great ideas for how to fix your procrastination problem, written with humor and backed by solid research. Keep a notebook handy to take notes to remind you of the principles you need to put in action; there's no summary so it's best to write your own. Recommended for both individual and group use (in the workplace) and for just about anyone who needs help figuring out how to stop waffling and just get the job done.

Cover thoughts:

I love that cover. I'm assuming the clamp on a clock is a visual metaphor for getting a grip on the time you've got, but that's just a guess. It's definitely visually appealing and refreshing to see such a nice bold, colorful image. Books on time management, procrastination and other "get it together" issues are often very, very dull. I am particularly put off by books with big, splashy photos of their authors on the cover.

My thanks to Harper for the review copy and to the author for the gentle nudge to continue reading. Actually, Piers, could you write to me at the address in the "About Me" portion of my sidebar? I have a few questions.

In other news:

I hope you all had a terrific Valentine's Day or Singles Appreciation Day (<--stolen from a comment made by Bermudaonion) if you're significant-other-less. My spouse was out of town on business, so he didn't get to hear the tremendous bang when a teenager hit our mailbox post, last night. That was interesting. I went outside to see what had happened and the fellow who hit it had already driven away but came running up the street to say, "Hey, sorry, I hit your mailbox. I'll replace it for you, no problem." I thought that was just lovely. He could have easily skipped out on the responsibility. For today, though, I've got an indoor mailbox and had to chase down the mail truck to get my mail.

I haven't received any books in the mail, this week, and I've been too tired to read so I may take off a day to see if I can catch up on rest. I'm only on page 30 of Let the Great World Spin, my F2F book club's February choice, and our meeting is tomorrow. Eeks! I'm just going to go unprepared, again, I guess. I'll save the book for some other time; I do want to read it but it's definitely a heavy read. As soon as I've rested up, I want to move on to some other books that are calling to me. I am still enjoying The Mental Floss History of the United States, believe it or not. I'm going to try to finish that by the end of the month (if not sooner), although I've loved reading it in little bits and pieces. It's about time for it to take its turn being reviewed, so I need to shove forward a bit.

Later, gators.

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

How to Ditch Your Fairy

by Justine Larbalestier

Copyright 2008

Bloomsbury - Young Adult/Fantasy

305 pp. incl., List of Known Fairies and Glossary

In New Avalon, everyone has a personal fairy, although not everyone believes they exist. Charlie's stuck with a parking fairy; whenever she rides in a vehicle of any kind its driver finds the perfect parking spot. A perfect nuisance is what her fairy is. Charlie doesn't even drive. Her best friend has a clothes-shopping fairy and the most hated girl in school, Fiorenze, has an all-boys-will-like-you fairy. Either of those would be preferable to a parking fairy.

Charlie has heard that to drive your fairy away, you must not give the fairy a chance to use its special magic, essentially boring the fairy so thoroughly that it decides to leave. With that in mind, Charlie's been walking everywhere for 60 days. And, she intends to keep walking until she's certain her fairy is gone, in spite of all the demerits she's racking up for arriving at her high school classes late. But, what Charlie doesn't realize is that there are consequences to changing fairies that she can't possibly anticipate.

I really had no idea what I was getting into when I grabbed How to Ditch Your Fairy off the library shelf. I've heard of Justine Larbalestier, thanks to the big cover controversy over another of her books, Liar, but I haven't read Liar and it was really just a combination of familiar author name, cute cover, serendipity and a pinch of impulse that led me to check the book out. It's the fact that I just realized the book is way overdue that's nudged me to write a review. Oops.

How to Ditch Your Fairy is charming and lively, with a heroine who is both hilarious and enchanting. She has a crush on the new boy at school and he seems interested in her when they're alone, but Fiorenze (whom she refers to as "Fiorenze Stupid-Name" because of her fancy, hyphenated last name) can't help but draw him away because of her boys-will-always-like-you-fairy. Fiorenze, as it turns out, is the only person who can help Charlie rid herself of that annoying fairy and, in the process, the strange boy who keeps kidnapping her so that he can always get a good parking spot when he needs one. Fiorenze's parents are experts on fairies. To discover the secret of how to ditch a fairy, Fiorenze and Charlie will need to work together to find a way to peek into the unpublished book her mother has written.

There is so much to How to Ditch Your Fairy that you wouldn't expect from looking at its cover. It's clever and original with surprisingly sharp writing in spite of its obvious levity. The heroine is likable and feisty -- there are plenty of unique challenges for her to deal with, some of which are so hilarious that I don't think you could have much more fun without requiring stitches. Charlie learns a few good lessons but the author doesn't bog the story down by trying too hard to make it meaningful. It's just good, clean fun. The characters in New Avalon have a private language all their own, hence the glossary, and even that little bit of lingo is a treat.

The bottom line:

A unique story, great characters and magical, clean entertainment, perfect for when you're looking for something light and humorous. I'm really going to hate taking this one back to the library. It seems like it would be an awfully fun book to keep for a reread during times I'm in need of an upper. Highly recommended.

Finally, I kept a week's worth of mailbox books together long enough to photograph!

Top to bottom:

Strangers by Taichi Yamada

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French (ARC from Doubleday)

Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli (ARC from Crown)

The True and Authentic History of Jenny Dorset by Philip Lee Williams

The Butt Book by Artie Bennett (for review, from the author)

Strangers, Summer at Tiffany and Jenny Dorset are all swap books.

The color isn't anywhere close to reality but the background behind those books is a freshly-painted corner of my office. It'll probably continue to be an in-progress painting job for a few more weeks because my husband and I are really slow and don't work well together. I like a room to be completely empty before I paint and he likes to just toss drop-cloths over everything. I fill in every little dent and nick; he likes to just slap on paint and call the job done. It usually takes a few weeks of his paint-slapping and my convincing before everything gets moved out and we finish the job. Strange, I know, but I'm so excited about updating the office that I'm just going to Make It So. Thank you, Jean-Luc, for the inspiration.

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Copyright 2011

Sterling - Young Adult

400 pages

Book #1 in a series

Tiger's Curse website

I felt overwhelmed. I didn't expect a first kiss to be so . . . life altering. In a few brief moments, the rule book of my universe had been rewritten. Suddenly I was a brand new person. I was as fragile as a newborn, and I worried that the deeper I allowed the relationship to progress, the worse it would be if Ren left. What would become of us? There was no way to know, and I realized what a breakable and delicate thing a heart was. No wonder I'd kept mine locked away.

--from p. 250 of Tiger's Curse, Advanced Reader Copy (some changes may have been made to the final print version)

When Kelsey takes a temporary job at the circus, she's not sure quite what to expect beyond a little extra money and hard work. What she finds is a family atmosphere and a wide variety of odd jobs that include feeding a beautiful white tiger with stunning blue eyes. Kelsey is entranced by Dhiren (whom she almost immediately begins to call Ren), but she doesn't realize the tiger is no ordinary tiger but a prince who has been held captive by a curse for hundreds of years. Kelsey's presence briefly sets him free -- just for 24 minutes per day, but long enough for him to start down the path that will lead him home.

Unaware that Ren is a cursed prince, Kelsey willingly accompanies the tiger and a man named Mr. Kadam to India. There, they will see the tiger safely ensconced in a nature preserve. Or, so she's been told. But, once Kelsey and Ren arrive in India, things suddenly change. The human Ren appears and Kelsey is shocked to find that he is a stunningly handsome prince and that she is the only person who can help break the curse. And, she must go into the jungle alone, with only the tiger to accompany her.

Will Kelsey and Ren be able to find the clues to break the curse? Or, will Ren's brother, Kishan, find a way to lure Kelsey away from Ren? Can Kelsey and Ren survive the dangers of the jungle and the world of the monkey gods?

Warning: This review contains potential spoilers. Please read it only if you do not plan to read the book right away.

What I liked about Tiger's Curse:

I have mixed feelings about Tiger's Curse; I liked the idea more than the execution of the book. But, before I go any farther, I highly recommend that you visit the Tiger's Curse website (link in the header, above) if you're interested in the book. There, you can read the first 7 chapters of the book and view the trailer. It's the trailer that grabbed me. I've never actually requested a book based on its trailer, till Tiger's Curse. It's one of the most appealing trailers I've ever seen.

Kelsey was a character that I liked immediately because of her spunk. She had almost no fear around the tiger from the beginning, although you get a sense that there's a little magic drawing the tiger and Kelsey to each other. There are some exciting moments but what I liked most about the book was the opportunity to learn a little bit about some sites in India and a smattering of info about the Hindu religion. If you read Tiger's Curse, take the time to look up the various places Kelsey and Ren visit, like Hampi:

Image Credit

What I disliked about Tiger's Curse:

I might be a little on the picky side but I found the book was almost entirely devoid of conflict and that bothered me a lot. Apparently, the book is a big hit. It hit the #1 spot on Kindle's children's bestseller list for 7 weeks and that led to the print publication. But, I think it might be the tug of romance that sucks in younger readers. I kept thinking of Twilight as I read the book. There's almost no similarity to Twilight beyond the sometimes-gushy magnetic pull between the two characters and the pushing away to prevent heartbreak, but the romance aspect did have a familiar, overwrought feel. That might be a draw for younger readers but I found it annoying.

My biggest problem with the book, though, was that lack of conflict. I'll give you an example that is a bit of a spoiler but not much. At one point, Kelsey is hit on the head by a falling rock. My inner writer immediately thought, "Who pushed the rock from above or threw it?" There was, I thought, a perfect opportunity for conflict. Who would want to stop Kelsey and Ren from breaking the curse? Well . . . if there's a living villain in Tiger's Curse, I totally missed figuring out who it is. Kelsey is knocked unconscious and since she's in the water she nearly drowns. There are a few tense moments, but there's nobody behind that rock. It was simply a rock that fell. Like the falling rock, there are a lot of other little incidents in Tiger's Curse that come to nothing -- too many descriptions with no purpose.

I also thought the author was too easy on Kelsey. Rather than have her forage in the jungle when she begins to run out of food, for example, Mr. Kadam always fills her backpack with everything she could possible need -- food, energy bars, bottled water, first-aid kit, flashlight . . . you name it. And, if she gets low on food? The tiger goes dashing off to find Mr. Kadam or Kadam simply conveniently shows up.

There's a lot of Kelsey waking up, being handed food and drinks, a loaded backpack, even keys to a car when she and Ren inexplicably need to go somewhere on their own, without the aid of Mr. Kadam. I found that frustrating. Tiger's Curse would have been much more enjoyable if Kelsey had to find her own food, deal with injuries without a first-aid kit handy -- sometimes I even wished Mr. Kadam had some hidden evil side, a deep dark secret that would make things suddenly become more difficult. I literally craved conflict.

And, why Kelsey? What was it about her that made her the only person who could help break the curse? Kelsey was babied so much by both Ren and Mr. Kadam in India that she lost the appeal she had early on, when it did actually appear that maybe there was something special about her, something magical.

Kelsey and Ren go to some interesting places and, particularly in the last 100 pages or so, they have some dangers to overcome. But, I just felt like something was missing.

The bottom line:

A romantic quest that takes readers through some fascinating historical locations in India with an interesting fantasy storyline that is generally lacking in conflict, containing flat, awkward dialogue and too-easy solutions. Some danger and adventure perks up the story toward the last 100 pages or so and there are some mysteries that are left unanswered, as well as a little bit of confusion about which brother-slash-tiger is the "good guy" but if I hadn't requested this book and hoped something would improve, I don't believe I would have made it past about page 100. I think younger readers might not mind the lack of conflict because of the romance and the sense of adventure. I would have definitely enjoyed it more at a younger age and particularly recommend it to those who like books like Twilight that lean toward the romantic side.

Would I read the second book in the series? Maybe. Part of me wants to know what will happen to Ren and Kelsey. There are certainly some exciting moments and there's a hint that there may be a dangerous enemy who intends to steal the "Damon amulet". Kelsey wears a piece of the amulet and I can't remember but I think Ren wears a part of it, as well. The next book sounds like it has some potential.

Cover thoughts:

What a stunning cover! The image above looks pretty but in real life the cover is just flat gorgeous. The design at the top is textured silver and the tiger seems to be materializing through a beautiful background that looks like it's part jungle, part cloth with an intricate Indian design. Inside, the patterns continue at chapter headings and even the top of each page. Tiger's Curse is one of the prettiest books I've seen, this year.

My thanks to Sterling Kids for the review copy!

In other news:

We had snow, last night! Or, rather, sneaux. In fact, I began to write this review, yesterday, but I didn't get very far because I had to keep hopping up to look out the window. We were expecting snow or a winter mix around 3:00. At 3:00, it was raining. At 4:00 it was raining. Sometime around 4:30, the air suddenly cooled and the rain turned to sleet within minutes. A few fluffy flakes were mixed in but it didn't really become just snow till full dark, around 6:00 or 6:30. I'm guessing we got about 1/2" of accumulation, maybe a tiny bit more. It was enough to admire but not enough to cover absolutely everything or stick around for long.

This next picture makes me snicker. I photographed my first snow ghost!!! Okay, yes, I made that up. But, if you look closely, it looks like a man with a mustache. Can you see his face? And, he's reaching for the camera!!! WooooOoooo.

The cats seemed to enjoy the view, this morning:

We're supposed to reach 70 by Thursday of next week, so I'm just going to hold this snow memory close to my heart for a year or two. I think winter is just about done with us.

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

Copyright 2011

HarperCollins - Young Adult/Paranormal

336 pages

Cecelia Ahern's website

He seems like a simple man, only I don't really believe that. Nobody who says a little as he does is as simple as you'd think.

--from p. 18 of The Book of Tomorrow (Advanced Reader Copy - some changes may have been made to the final printing)

"Right." He laughed and turned the engine off. "Let's go somewhere else."

"Don't you need the engine on to do that?" I asked.

"We're not driving," he said, and climbed around the driver's seat and into the bus. "So, let's see . . . where should we go?" He moved his finger along the spines of the books in the travel section and walked alongside them, reading aloud, "Paris, Chile, Rome, Argentina, Mexico . . . "

"Mexico," I said straightaway, kneeling up on my seat to watch him.

"Mexico." He nodded. "Good choice." He lifted the book from the shelf and looked at me. "Well? Are you coming? Flight's about to leave."

I smiled and climbed over to join him. We sat on the floor, side by side, in the back of the bus, and that day, we went to Mexico.

from p. 67 of The Book of Tomorrow, ARC

Tamara Goodwin has been spoiled all her life, living in a mansion with hired help, free to do as she pleased with her friends and given anything she desired. But then tragedy struck and now her world has been shattered. Her father's hidden debts have caused Tamara and her mother to lose everything after his death; and, they have no choice but to move in with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Rosaleen. Far from the city, isolated in the Irish countryside, Tamara's bored and frustrated. Her uncle hardly says a word and her aunt is oddly sweet, tremendously cagey and almost stalkerish, keeping Tamara away from her own mother, swooping things out of her sight, hushing conversations when she knows Tamara's around.

When Tamara meets a young man who drives the local library on wheels, she finds a kindred spirit and a magical book that tells her what's going to happen . . . in her own handwriting. A second boy also catches her eye in the ruins of the castle upon whose property they live. The two young men and a nun who knows the history of the ruined castle and everyone in town all help Tamara tolerate the place she lives. But, what is the secret Aunt Rosaleen is so determined to keep from her? The Book of Tomorrow is a story with a little magic, a touch of romance and a little mystery.

What I liked about The Book of Tomorrow:

I must confess, I started reading The Book of Tomorrow and immediately hated the heroine. She was a spoiled brat who deliberately made people uncomfortable and was determined to be unhappy in her new home. It's very telling that my son picked up the book and read a few pages but rejected it while we were sitting in a restaurant. He's one of those people who will read anything -- even the ketchup bottle -- when there's nothing to do but sit. But, he handed the book back to me, declaring it a "whining book". He preferred twiddling his thumbs to reading it.

That's exactly how the book feels, at the beginning, and I was tempted to throw in the towel, even though I love books set in Ireland. But, then the young man who drives the library bus came into the picture and Tamara found a magical diary. I was curious and I kept reading. It was mostly the magical book that kept me going -- the questions I had about it, in particular. The author dropped a hint that the nun knew something about the book and the castle. But . . .

What I disliked about The Book of Tomorrow:

To be honest, the idea was far better than the execution. There were hints that were not followed through, something very bad happens to one of the boys and he almost completely disappears from the picture (the one I liked the most, naturally), and in the end the entire mystery is explained all at once. Hints dropped throughout the book never entirely make sense. Tamara never actually sits down to write in the diary, which is I think one of the strangest things I've ever read in a book with some sort of paranormal aspect. Wait--she finds her own writing in a book, telling her what's going to occur, but there is never a point at which she actually writes a word? Yep, she only reads her own writing, never actually lifts a pencil or pen to the pages.

When Tamara causes one guy to drop out of the picture, it's by doing something she knows is wrong. So, as a heroine, she's not only a spoiled, spiteful, horrid person but she doesn't really transform. There are hints of improvement but there's no lasting redemption. I think a blogging friend who chose not to review the book because she couldn't think of anything positive to say about it was right when she called it, "a hot mess". Close to the end of the book, Tamara the Narrator says, "I spoke with venom," and you know she's still the same old brat. She doesn't even have the sense to solve the mystery on her own.

The bottom line:

I read all of The Book of Tomorrow and was massively disappointed. The best thing I can say for it is that it's a quick read. The story is flawed and incomplete with a too-easy mystery solution and a dreadful heroine. There are several holes in the plot -- bits that don't make sense if you question them too deeply and I always do that. I don't know what Cecelia Ahern's fans will make of it, but I think they're the only people to whom I'd recommend this book and only because I assume a few people will want to read it merely because they like Ahern's writing. I loved P. S. I Love You and am listening to it on audio. There is some similarity in that Tamara, like the heroine in P. S. I Love You, is grieving. I cut her a little slack at first, thinking she would improve. But she didn't and The Book of Tomorrow is a big disappointment.

My thanks to HarperCollins for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book, which I will pass on to a friend.

Tomorrow's book is unfortunately also a DNF, but I promise you I gave it a fair chance. I'd rather read 75 pages and abandon a book than read the entire thing and realize how much time I've wasted. I'm too old for that. My Thursday post will be about either Paris Was Ours or Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox -- two books I absolutely loved.

And, now I leave you with a photograph chosen to color-coordinate with the cover of The Book of Tomorrow, some orchids I spotted in Hawaii in 2007:

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Fade by Lisa McMann

Fade by Lisa McMann
Copyright 2009
Simon Pulse - Young Adult fiction
248 pages

I bought the first book in this series, Wake, and ended up staying up so late to finish it that I just knew I had to read on. It took a week or two, but I managed to buy a copy of Fade. I don't regret it, but I will say that it was a totally different experience from Wake in that most of the secrets that tug you through Wake and, thus, make it compulsively readable have already been revealed by the end of the book.

Having said that, I like the protagonist, Janie, and the boy she falls in love with, Cabel.

Warning: This paragraph may contain some information that could spoil the reading of Wake. Please skip this part if you plan to read Wake, soon. I'll tell you when it's safe to continue reading.

In the first book, Janie's "dream-catching" has gotten totally out of hand because she's in high school and wherever she goes, there are sleeping students. If someone is sleeping nearby, she falls into their dream. By the end of Wake, Janie is learning to control her ability and she and Cabel are using her ability to help try to put a drug dealer in jail.

Okay, it's safe, now. You can come out from under the rug.

In Fade, Janie and Cabel continue onward with their on-again, off-again relationship -- a rocky one because they both have their own demons to fight, metaphorically speaking and, this time, Janie must put herself in a dangerous situation in order to discover whether or not a crime is being committed by one of the teachers at her high school. She also finds out that her dream-catching ability is causing her physical damage.

I liked this book almost as much -- but not quite as much -- as the first in the series, in spite of the fact that much had already been revealed and I thought it didn't work quite as well. I think there are a couple of reasons I like the continuation of the series. For one thing, I really like Janie, Cabel and most of the side characters. I find Cabel a little hard to believe in because he's almost too perfect and when he does tear himself a way for a time, his reasons never quite click with me. But, he's such a wonderful character that Janie and I keep forgiving him. The other reason I think I like this series so much is its uniqueness. Maybe this has been done before, but if it has, I haven't read it. I like the whole concept of dream-catching and the way it plays out in the books.

I'll wait for the next in the series, Gone, to go to paperback because I really kind of hate hardback books, but I do plan to read on.

©2010 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Copyright 2010

Harper - Young Adult Fiction

470 pages

The cover grabbed me; the story held on. I picked up a copy of Before I Fall and flipped through it at Borders but passed up buying, one day. I did, however, promptly add it to my wish list because the storyline sounded interesting. And, then I found a copy at my library. Excitement!! It's not easy finding fairly new releases at my library -- especially Young Adult novels --and I only had to wait . . . um, maybe 8 months from the release date? Not bad.

Samantha has died in an automobile accident. She remembers it well -- the fear, the pain, the sensation of dying. But, each morning she wakes up alive, only to relive the day of her death.

Sam is pretty, popular and planning to lose her virginity to her boyfriend at a former friend's party (mostly to "get it over with") on her final day. As she and her friends go about their day, the things that stand out are their rudeness to the unpopular crowd and how the entire day they're careening toward the alcohol-fueled party that will lead to Sam's death . . . and that of another girl. But they have no real understanding of how much the little things they do impact other people. When she is forced to relive the day, Samantha slowly begins to understand how she needs to change things to make them right. She sees her boyfriend and the boy who is hosting the party in a totally new light and gradually changes how she interacts with them.

As in the movie Groundhog Day, Sam experiments with making changes to her last day. Some days she tries to be perfect and save her own life; one day she just lets herself go completely wild. She relives her last day 7 times.

In the end, Samantha realizes that the only way she can possibly escape living the same day forever is to make things right. And, how she goes about doing so is not something I can go into because you'll want to enjoy the surprises. The two descriptive words that I think of when I reflect back on the reading of Before I Fall are "consistently surprising". I truly never knew what Sam was going to do, next. It's not wholly unexpected that she redeems herself in the end, but there are questions that really make the book a page turner. For one thing, you have to wonder if Sam will ever be able to save herself. Will she, by learning about her fate and how to prevent it, cease to be dead?

Well . . . I'm not telling. What you need to know is that Lauren Oliver is an amazing writer and Before I Fall is a stellar book in many ways. The author keeps you guessing, allows Samantha to learn slowly enough that the wild premise remains strikingly believable, and even makes a few people who seem truly horrendous reveal their good sides. Oh, and there's a bit of refreshing romance.

The bottom line:

I absolutely loved Before I Fall. I began reading it at home, rechecked it for my trip to Oklahoma and finished the reading of Before I Fall in Tulsa. A week later, it's still rolling around in my head and I am absolutely dying to see what Lauren Oliver comes up with next. Capricious Heather has read Oliver's next title, Delirium, which doesn't come out till February of 2011 and I am sooo envious.

Warnings: Sexual content, drug & alcohol use and . . . I think there's some bad language, but I can't remember. I personally think the author did a good job of using the sex, drugs and alcohol (drunken students falling all over each other and then driving off the road, basically) as object lessons, although she could have gone a bit farther about the dangers of drinking and driving. But, on the other hand . . . Samantha's dead thanks to her drunken friend's driving. That kind of gets the point across.

Tomorrow, I have a book tour and then I hope to return to cranking out reviews like crazy on Friday.

©2010 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.